Even with the cloth mask, the poisons got into Koji and Tenmaru’s airways. They coughed repeatedly and felt their throat started to swell up.

"Not good." Koji covered his face. "Dry Drowning."

Tenmaru managed to slice at the face of a disciple, causing him to fall down on the ground dead or alive.

"What does that mean?" Tenmaru retreated. He and Koji had their backs against each other to face the surrounding disciples.

"It is one of our signature poisons, boys." The Major disciple. "It makes you drown even on land."

Koji and Tenmaru were fierce. They were able to kill off a few weak disciples. But they had reached their limits now. Death was coming for them.

Suddenly, they heard the noise of metal scraping on the ground. They looked over to see a black swordsman slowly approach them.

"That man..." Koji widened his eyes.

"Scram, loser!" The major disciple shouted.

Carter raised his swords, he mimicked what Tenmaru had said earlier.

"Hiken. Bright Universe."

The black swordsman disappointed from his location. Bright flashes of straight cuts appeared all around the area. When he reappeared again, Carter unsheathed Iganu with a ’click’.

Blood splashed out from the neck of all the disciples.

<Prime Coins +230>

They all died with one simple move. Carter only left the Major disciple alive.

"You?" The disciple pushed his hand toward Carter. A thin strip of acidic potion shot out.

A thick red aura blasted out from within Carter, sending the acid strip away and shoving the disciple on his butt.

The pressure of his power condensed the very air they breathed.

The disciple trembled. Before he manged to get up, Carter was already in front of him.

"I..."

Carter kicked the head of the disciple off him.

<+10 Prime Coin>

<Current Prime Coins>: 4244

He didn’t even stand a chance.

Carter turned back to Koji and Tenmaru. His gaze washed over them.

A simple gaze made the pair tremble. The pressure was just too much to handle.

"You two are innocent." Carter said.

He took out a glass vial and passed it to Koji. "Antidote to the poison."

[Lost x1 Basic Antidote]

"Thank you." Koji nodded confusingly. He and Tenmaru each drank half the bottle. They didn’t think twice because a man as powerful as this didn’t need to trick them. He would have killed them straight out.

Carter had already turned his back around and walked away.

"Wait!" Koji rushed at him.

Carter raised an eyebrow, waiting for his question.

"Are you the black swordsman?" Koji asked.

"Black swordsman? I am a swordsman and my clothes are black, yes." Carter lied. He pretended like he didn’t know anything.

"Do you know a female fortune teller? White hair? Accompanying by a green snake?" Tenmaru approached and asked.

Carter pretended to think for a while before answering, "Not personally. But she prayed to me before."

"Pray to you?" Koji repeated.

’What is this guy? A god or something?’

"I need to find this woman, Master swordsman. Can you tell me where she is?" Tenmaru said.

Carter pointed toward the fortress of Giyaku. "She’s in the False City."

The black swordsman left again. This time was for real.

"Will we see you again, Master?" Koji shouted.

Carter had already disappeared. But his voice lingered, "If Fate has other plans for us."

"Crazy..." Tenmaru swiped his forehead full of sweat.

First he met Musashi, the strongest person he’d ever seen. Not including Oda Yushin.

Then he met this nameless swordsman. He was on an entire different level. Even Oda would lose.

"Come on! Why are you standing there? Mikoto is probably in the False City!"

The pair got back on their horses and headed for the False City.

After the revelation, Chiaki and the remaining men of Clan Masuhara joined Carter in his cause of building a Shrine within the False City.

Carter said it best, "Only in the filthiest place that a presence of the Gods is needed."

The mercenary company started with cleaning out the weak Yokais within the city fortress first. Then they picked an empty building in the city square to build the Shrine.

It was an abandoned temple that once had its own gods. Now they cleaned it out for the new Shrine. The place was in a very bad state and needed remodel. The mercenaries took on that job.

Carter had already returned with his superspeed and was drinking tea with Chiaki.

Suddenly, a mercenary knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Chiaki said.

"We have two men asking to meet Lady Mikoto. They said their name were Itsuki Koji and Shinka Tenmaru."

"Koji?" Chiaki obviously knew the Rider. "Call them in."

The pair entered the room. Koji noticed Carter in the room and was a little surprised. Tenmaru on the other hand was perplexed.

’She looks out of this world.’ Tenmaru thought to himself.

"You can act normal, Koji. Mikoto already knows." Chiaki said.

Koji nodded and bowed down, "Greetings, Princess."

"Princess?" Tenmaru frowned.

"I am the daughter of that devil, Tengo Ryuja. But don’t think of me like him. He forced my mother against her will and had me. You can think of me as the leader of Clan Masuhara."

"That noble clan that once ruled Jado." Tenmaru mumbled.

"Correct." Chiaki nodded. "Please sit."

Tenmaru and Koji sat down beside them.

"Why did you get all the way here, Koji? Aren’t you needed at Kyoma?" Chiaki said.

"I..." Koji lowered his head. "I betrayed Ryuja."

"Foolish!" Chiaki slammed the tea cup down. "You were our greatest asset. You could have spied on Ryuja for much longer."

"I have to, Lady Masuhara. I couldn’t stay there once I learned that your mother is alive."

"Mother?" Chiaki widened her eyes. "Didn’t Ryuja kill her?"

"He only told the people that. Ryuja kept Lady Chihana in his secret dungeon. I was able to find out when I sneaked in there."

"That damn monster!" Chiaki clenched her fist tightly. Then she exhaled, releasing her hands. "At least she’s alive. We can save her once we defeat Ryuja"

Chiaki then turned toward Tenmaru, "And what does this warrior have to do with us?"

"I am Tenmaru. I was tasked by Ginro Musashi to help Lady Mikoto in building her Shrine."

Carter sipped his tea in silence, watching everything unfolded.